History

After the first steps towards starting a museum under the patronage of the Bocholt Association for the Preservation of Local Traditions at the beginning of the 20th century and other nitiatives, the efforts of the Assoziation and the Town Council to set up an urban museum have been increased since the early 70s.

On January 20th 1982 the Association applied to the Town Council for the permission to set up an urban museum under coptranage of the Association. Since then Council and Association have been in constant contact in order to realise the plans. The Town Council Assembly of Bocholt voted on May 18th 1988 in favour of acquiring the site at Osterstraße 66 and preserving the building fabrik to house the purchase of the building and its subsequent renovation, already existing gereal objectives for the planning of the museum were put into more concrete form by the joint patrons with the assistance of a team of scientific collaborators.

Collection

The main focus of the Bocholt urban museum is the following:

Geology

the M. Tangerding collection, a completely self-contained collection dealing with the geology and landscape history of the Aa Valley in Bocholt

Prehistory

individual aspekts of the settlement of the Bocholt area from early times to this turn of the century

Early history

Saxons and Franks, the influence of the missionaries in the 8th/9th centuries and the first written mention of Bocholt at the time of the Saxon Wars of Charlemagne in 779

From settlement to town

founding of the church an “villa” Bocholt - the grant of a town charter and the town’s constitution

Town life

religious and secular life in selected examples, int. al. poverty and sozial care, forms of medieval piety, links between church and citizenry, water supply and refuse disposal

From rural to industrial town

the upheaval in political, economic and social relationschip as a result of the change in the town’s outer appearance and urban infrastructure up to the First World War

The 20th century

with main focus on the topics of the Weimar Republic, National Sozialism and The Second World War

Aspects of the sozial and economic history of the 20th century

via the example of the firm of A. Friedr. Flender AG and a section on “Individual aspects of everyday life in history” round off the historical section of the Museum

Fine arte

presentation of a collection of etchings with works from the 14th/15/th century artist Israhel-van-Meckenem, works of the famous 20th century German stage-set designer Josef Fenneker, and other collections connected with fine arts

have a closer look

current exhibition